Tracker-board.



,R. S. GOURLAY.

TRACKER BOARD.

APPLICATION rnnn may 29, 1908.

Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT S. GOURLAY, OF TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, ASSIGNOR TO THE WILCOX & WHITE COMPANY, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

TRACKER-BOARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

latented Jan. 5, 1909.

Application filed. June 29, 1908. Serial No. 440,818.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT S. GoURLAY, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Toronto, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tracker-Boards, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in tracker-boards for auto-pneumatic music playing instruments.

My object is to provide in such a device certain improved features of construction which shall embody the advantages of a metal tracker-board without the disadvantages thereof. It has been found by the use of an all-metal tracker-board that, owing to the hardness of the material and the sharpness of the edges of the duct perforations, that the paper note sheet in traversing the same is shaved or abraded, with the result that the particles thus removed tend to clog the hole or duct, or otherwise impair the internal mechanism. This disadvantage is entirely removed by my present improved construction. Furthermore, this improved construction embodies all the advantages of an all-wood tracker-board.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of my improved trackerboard. Fig. 2 is a cross section thereof intersecting one of the ducts.

1 represents the main body of the trackerboard formed of wood or some analogous material.

2 represents a metallic facing for the upper portion of the body 1, over which facing the paper of the note sheet (not shown) travels. The central part of this facing 2 is cut away longitudinally, the ends being preferably connected as at 2-.

3-3 represent openings or holes in the upper part or ridge of the tracker-board, which communicate with the several ducts, one of the latter being shown at 4 in Fig. 2.

' The body 1 is provided with an upwardly extending rib or projecting portion 1 standing between the two side bars of the lining 2, and so as to lie substantially flush, or very slightly above, the upper surface of said facing. The aforesaid holes 3-3 are formed in the material of the body 1, which, being relatively soft, will not shave or abrade the paper of the music sheet as it traverses the board, hence the trackerboard possesses that advantage characteristic of the all-Wood board. The metal facing 2 is so adapted to the upper edge of the board as to protect the same and preferably so as to reinforce the same, it being secured thereto in any desired manner, for example, by means of the inturned clamping flanges 2 2 The upper surface of this metal facing may be polished to any desired degree to provide a suitable bearing over which the paper may travel. The edge of the facing nearest the holes 33 is spaced apart from the holes 33 sufficiently far so that there is no danger of abrasion.v Abrasion may be further guarded against by causing the projecting portion of the body 1 to stand slightly above the upper surface of the metal facing, as already indicated. The presence of the metal facing serves not only to protect the upper edge of the trackerboard from injury such as bruising, but also may reinforce the same against checking or splitting. This com osite construction, therefore, possesses, as have indicated at the outset, the advantages of the all-metal board as well as the advantages of the allwood board, with none of the disadvantages of either.

In the preferred form, the facing in effect provides a metallic bearing along each side of the row of holes 3-3, but spaced apart therefrom.

What I claim is:

1. A composite tracker-board having a main body of wood or analo ous material, and having a metallic facing a ong its up er edge, said facing having a longitudinal s ot, the material of the body projecting into said slot and arranged substantially flush with the upper surface of the metallic facing, and a duct in said tracker-board having its opening in that part of the material of the body rojecting into said slot.

2. lifi a tracker-board, a main body of wood or analogous material, said main body having ducts therein and having duct openings arranged in a row therein, and a metallic facing along the upper portion of said body, said facing being spaced away from said row of duct openings and being arranged sub stantially flush with the material of said main body adjacent to said openings.

3. In a tracker-board, a main body of non-abrasive material having ducts therein and having metallic bearing surfaces extending parallel with and on both sides of,

but spaced away from, said ducts, said metallic portions also forming reinforcing and protecting linings for said trackerdcoard.

4. In a tracker-board, a main body por- 5 tion of Wood or analogous and n0n-abrasive material having ducts therein and having a metallic bearing surface adjacent to, but spaced apart from, said ducts, said metallic portion forming a surface protecting element 10 for said tracker-board.

5. In a tracker-board, a series of ducts,

tracker-board adjacent to the material in Which the duct passages are formed and spaced apart therefrom and being of relatively harder material.

. ROBERT S. GOURLAY. Witnesses:

D. S. TovELL, E. MERNER. 

